Sports
Connacht’s casualty list grows in loss to Cardiff
Cardiff 20
Connacht 16
IT might only be a first loss in nine games for Connacht but this one, like the only other defeat this season in Glasgow, will rankle for weeks to come with the westerners. They lost to a Cardiff Blues side that is a pale shadow of some great teams of the past, lacking confidence, guile and any sort of wow factor.
Yet Cardiff did just enough to overcome Connacht in this tussle on their 4g pitch at the Arms Park on Friday night. In front of a small crowd that came probably unsure what to expect after a season of seven defeats in the previous eight games, the Blues started well but faded considerably in the first half and were fortunate to trail by just three at the break.
Connacht can legitimately blame injuries for their sluggish start to the second half with both scrum halves forced off, leaving Matt Healy in command of the nine spot which understandably meant slow ball from the base even if it was offset by the winger’s ability to make some blistering half breaks.
Even with all the momentum, the Blues took some time to turn it into points but when Tom James did get their try in the corner, the momentum seemed very much with them. Yet Connacht fought back towards the end and the westerners had the hosts scrambling on numerous occasions in the final stages to cling on for their victory.
From the famous win over Munster, Connacht were without the following starting players for this fixture in the Welsh capital – Robbie Henshaw, AJ MacGinty, Denis Buckley, Ultan Dillane and Eoghan Masterson while Nathan White and Shane Delahunt were rested for the trip. Furthermore, Kieran Marmion was kept in reserve on the bench in the eighth and final change.
Early on in this contest, the injury problems gotworse. Craig Ronaldson was the first to go down thanks to a stray but unintentional head collision with an opponent’s elbow. Quinn Roux, on his first game back having missed five through injury, was stretchered off with a serious leg injury that could have him out for up to three months.
Next to go was Ian Porter at half-time and 60 seconds into Marmion’s evening, he too was out with a head injury leaving Healy to fill in at scrum half, a position he hadn’t occupied since his school days. Eoin McKeon picked up a hand injury in the final quarter after the Blues second try while Bundee Aki went over on his ankle.
In just two games the o field injury count is at 12 with only two of those players (Aki and Porter) in line for a possible recovery by Friday night for the visit of struggling Newcastle in the European Challenge Cup.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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